Posts Tagged ‘parabens’

There is a lot of talk about the dangers of parabens, yet they are still being used as a preservative quite extensively in the skin care and cosmetics industry. When we read the reports carefully, however, most of the articles are short on facts but still strongly warn of dangers. Nonetheless, there is scientific evidence of health risks associated with parabens that goes beyond the controversy and the loud talk.

My advice on the issue, is that avoiding parabens whenever possible is a good idea.

Researchers from the Department of Biology and Biochemistry of Brunel University in the UK conducted a study that found that the alkyl hydroxy benzoate preservatives (that is, methyl-, ethyl-, propyl-, and butylparaben) are weakly estrogenic. In other words, these preservatives have the ability to mimic estrogen in the body. They found butylparaben to be the most estrogenic. The study found that parabens can cause these adverse (oestrogenic) effects when injected under the skin of laboratory animals. The researchers believe that parabens that might be absorbed through the skin of pregnant women may act like an alien female hormone, affecting the development of the fetus, especially in regard to male fetuses’ future fertility. Professor John Sumpter, one of the researchers, wrote an article in The Independent where he expressed concerns that parabens may play a role in explaining why sperm counts have been falling in men and breast cancer in women is on the rise. However, the professor noted that the clinical results were based on animal studies only, and that human trials have not been done.